Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 50: A Gentle Breeze Comes Slowly

Fang Xiu took Shang Debao’s corpse out of the qiankun pouch and laid it flat on the floor.

Nearly half the walls of the mountain-view suite were floor-to-ceiling windows. Bright moonlight flooded the room. Under the cold glow, Fang Xiu decisively raised the bone-cutting knife and brought it down.

Thud!

The first cut severed the corpse’s hand. Seeing the cross-section, Fang Xiu let out a curious hum.

The blade was extraordinarily sharp so the severed surface was cut clean. Fresh muscle and bone were exposed, yet not a single drop of blood flowed. It was as if what he’d just chopped wasn’t flesh and bone, but finely crafted wax.

Too bad he’d killed Shang Debao. Fang Xiu couldn’t ask how it felt.

Still, he had suspected the bone-cutting knife would have special effects.

From the ritual’s standpoint, it surely hoped the sacrifices would live longer, to contribute more karma and flesh. If a sacrifice died from blood loss the first time they broke a taboo, it’d be a guaranteed lose-lose.

Fang Xiu worked like a skilled butcher. He quickly hacked off 26 lbs. of meat, split it into two portions, and prepared to give them to Guan He and Cheng Songyun. He only used a bit more than one and a half arms; the rest of the corpse he returned to the pouch.

After tidying up, Fang Xiu compared the knife against his own left arm.

He was 1.8 meters tall but weighed less than 160 lbs., so even thinner than the corpse. He wasn’t even sure if one of his arms weighed 13 lbs.

Besides…

“Bai Shuangying, if I chop off my left arm, will the anomaly skill still work?”

Fang Xiu was worried. That paper figure had printed the Bagua symbols on his left arm.

Bai Shuangying silently approached, his fingertips pressing against Fang Xiu’s left arm. The “Kan” and “Li” symbols immediately surfaced, circling around his finger.

The cold fingertip glided along the skin, from forearm to shoulder, then from shoulder to collarbone. When Bai Shuangying’s finger pressed against Fang Xiu’s neck, he didn’t move a muscle.

He wanted to say, “that’s enough,” but for some reason didn’t open his mouth.

So the fingertip kept traveling—over his throat, chin, and finally rested on his left temple. Fang Xiu felt warmth where it touched, the symbols presumably reabsorbing into the skin.

But every place the finger had passed still burned, even more than the temple. It was bizarre, considering how cold the ghost’s fingertips were.

Fang Xiu slightly tilted his head, meeting Bai Shuangying’s eyes up close.

Bai Shuangying met his gaze for a moment. His pale lips parted slightly. “You said you wanted to leave your head for last, so I moved it to your head.”

“Mmhm, very fitting.”

The taboo loomed and tension ran high, yet Fang Xiu felt like laughing.

He rolled up his sleeve and handed the bone-cutting knife over with both hands. “Do me a favor. I can’t control the angle or strength properly. If I don’t cut through in one go, it’ll really hurt.”

Bai Shuangying looked down at the knife, its blade faintly reflecting the moonlight outside.

“You can ask another human,” he said quietly.

Fang Xiu shook his head. “Xiao Guan’s still underage, and Cheng Jie is too soft-hearted. She wouldn’t be quick or clean… Come on, we don’t have much time.”

His tone was calm, like asking someone to pass him a cup of water.

Bai Shuangying took the knife. It had just cut through a corpse yet bore no blood or flesh. He lightly ran a finger across the blade, then paused. “This blade isn’t only enchanted to stop bleeding, it also carries a curse that intensifies pain.”

He hesitated for two seconds. “If you just want the arm removed, I can use Peach Bone Evil.”

It was rare for his ghost to make suggestions. Fang Xiu paused, then smiled. “No. It’s only the first day. I can’t let anyone notice something’s off.”

“Whether it’s the wound or my reaction to breaking a taboo, it has to look natural. Actually, the more pathetic, the better.”

Then he repeated, “Time’s short. Do it…”

Swish.

Before he finished, his left arm flew off. Bai Shuangying struck quickly and steadily, the pain didn’t even register for several seconds.

The pale arm rolled twice on the floor, the fingers still trembling slightly.

Expressionless, Bai Shuangying picked it up and, mimicking Fang Xiu, placed it on the scale.

13 lbs. Not a gram more or less.

Fang Xiu hadn’t moved a step, but his knees buckled. Cold sweat soaked his T-shirt.

The wound had been cursed, and the searing pain far exceeded expectation. It felt less like losing an arm and more like having a palm-sized nail torn out alive.

Fang Xiu, practiced in suppressing screams and groans, couldn’t stop the sweat or his rapid breathing. He instinctively bent forward, barely able to stay upright.

Bai Shuangying slowly set down the knife, saying nothing.

Fifteen minutes to midnight, a knock came, right on time.

Fang Xiu instantly straightened like nothing had happened and cheerfully went to open the door.

His sleeve covered the gory wound; the shadows masked his pale face. Other than missing an arm and sweating a bit, he looked just the same as usual.

Guan He and Cheng Songyun entered. Their gazes locked immediately on his empty left sleeve, each showing their own brand of worry.

Fang Xiu: “What, expecting a public performance? I charge admission for those.”

Before they could speak, he went on quickly, “Come grab your meat and head back to your rooms to rest. We’ll find Song Zheng in the morning.”

Guan He: “Fang Ge… does it hurt?”

He stared at the deflated sleeve, not even noticing the severed flesh on the ground.

Fang Xiu smiled. “It stung during the chop. It’s better now. Off you go, don’t risk breaking a taboo.”

Guan He gathered the heap of arm meat, forcing himself to look at it like making a decision.

“…Fang Ge, I’ve decided. I won’t gamble.”

Cheng Songyun bit her lip. “Xiao Fang… thank you.”

Fang Xiu kept smiling. “It’s nothing.”

Once the door shut, he instantly slumped against it, sliding to the floor.

Good thing he hadn’t asked them to break the taboo too. This pain was insane. Like fire constantly searing his wound.

Now he understood why Song Zheng had warned against it so many times.

The seemingly mild “fail and suffer harm” clause was, in truth, excruciating, even for someone used to pain.

The ritual really went all-out to lure them into the casino.

At the stroke of midnight, another knock came.

This time, the visitor was a handsome waiter. Broad shoulders, long legs, perfect smile with eight teeth, he looked like a stock image of happiness. Definitely from Huanxi World.

He pushed a gleaming golden cart that was empty on top.

“Good evening, Mr. Fang. I’m here to collect your 13 lbs. of human meat.”

He beamed. “Please note the weight. No refunds for extra, no credit for less!”

Fang Xiu didn’t bother talking to the illusion. He pointed at the arm on the scale. “Take it.”

The waiter wasn’t annoyed. He politely retrieved the arm and sniffed it in front of Fang Xiu.

“No scent of transaction. It’s verified.”

He smiled and placed the arm into the cart.

Fang Xiu expected him to leave, but the waiter stayed, grinning ear to ear:

“Here’s the deal, Mr. Fang. We’ll store your 13 lbs. of meat for 24 hours.”

“If you order 13 lbs. of human meat within that time, we’ll restore your body for free, and the pain will vanish instantly!”

He said it as if it were an amazing promotional deal.

Irritated by pain, Fang Xiu snapped, “Not interested.”

Still not giving up, the waiter said, “Don’t be hasty, Mr. Fang. We’ve noticed a large amount of karmic debt on your record. As this is your first taboo violation, we’re offering a premium customer bonus, you can exchange your karmic debt right now!”

He pulled out a gleaming 1,000-value chip, stacked with a 10-value chip, and placed it before Fang Xiu.

“Your arm will regenerate instantly, and you’ll enjoy our ‘Get 10 Bonus for Every 1000 Redeemed’ promo! Surprise!”

Fang Xiu: “……”

The waiter leaned closer and playfully winked. “Oh, and we don’t encourage violence. Newly acquired blood debt in Huanxi World is nonredeemable, you’ll have to pick from your past debts.”

Fang Xiu had enough. “Scram!”

“Certainly, Mr. Fang. Good night, Mr. Fang. May tomorrow bring you great fortune!”

The waiter’s handsome smile never wavered, teeth still gleaming.

As the door closed, the round table, scale, and bone-cutting knife vanished simultaneously. Fang Xiu let out a breathy laugh and collapsed onto the bed.

“…Bai Shuangying,” he called softly a few minutes later.

Bai Shuangying was standing by the window. “Mm.”

“My wound hurts like hell.” Fang Xiu stared at the ceiling. “This time, the E is seriously strong.”

“I know,” Bai Shuangying replied.

“It really hurts.”

“I know.”

“I’m not complaining. I just wanted to say it out loud…” Fang Xiu lay on the right side of the bed and slowly shrank his body. “I asked you to chop it off so I’m not blaming you… It just feels better to say it out loud.”

“…I understand.”

Fang Xiu was quiet for a while. Then he asked softly, “Was Shang Debao’s soul really that disgusting…?”

“His karma was nearly empty.” Bai Shuangying walked to the left side of the bed and sat down. “It tasted faintly off, dry and crumbly, like dregs.”

Fang Xiu didn’t answer. Bai Shuangying turned and saw that he’d fallen asleep.

Fair enough. After spending the day trekking through the apartment and five hours in the casino, not to mention killing someone and losing an arm, it was no surprise.

Fang Xiu had never been physically strong. Now, exhausted and weakened, his reaction was understandable.

…But his sleep wasn’t peaceful. Every one or two minutes, he twitched.

Sometimes, pressure on the stump made him convulse violently.

Bai Shuangying leaned over and brushed Fang Xiu’s bangs aside. His hair was soaked in sweat, and his temperature alarmingly high.

Seeing Fang Xiu, usually bouncing off walls, now so still made Bai Shuangying uncomfortable.

He could have persuaded Fang Xiu to give in to Huanxi World. Compared to the Mid-Autumn E, this place was far better for creating a lasting “two-person world”.

But if it meant Fang Xiu would become bland, hollow “human scum”, Bai Shuangying rejected the thought outright.

…Besides, Fang Xiu really hated this place.

Bai Shuangying left the bed and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window.

Placing one hand on the wall, he began quietly deciphering the spell matrix of the ritual site.

But soon, he felt heat on his back.

Fang Xiu had gotten up and, barefoot, walked behind him. Now he pressed his forehead gently against Bai Shuangying’s back.

“Can’t sleep,” Fang Xiu murmured. “Hurts too damn much…”

There was no electricity, and so little to do. The two sat side by side before the window, watching the moonlit forest outside.

Fang Xiu leaned his good arm against Bai Shuangying and silently tugged his sleeve with his right hand. He didn’t speak. Whether from pain or just lack of words, it was unclear.

He just stared at the view, eyes reluctant to blink.

Bai Shuangying glanced at him.

Fang Xiu’s sleeve-tugging was surprisingly nice. It was warm and gentle, like a massage. But now, his palm was so hot, Bai Shuangying found it unfamiliar.

“You like the mountains?” Bai asked.

Fang Xiu: “Yeah. Don’t you think it’s beautiful?”

Bai Shuangying thought for a moment. “Nothing special.”

Fang Xiu laughed, which tugged his wound, making him flinch.

“It’s different through a window, like watching a screen,” he said. “The best part of mountain views is the wind, smells, and sounds.”

He reached out with his remaining right hand and touched the glass. “…Say, are these illusions too?”

“Illusions anchored in reality.”

Learning the scenery was fake, Fang Xiu’s eyes dimmed. “No wonder nothing in this room can be exchanged.”

Bai Shuangying had just given him useful intel. He should start thinking… thinking…

“Want to see it?” Bai Shuangying said, holding Fang Xiu’s hand that was pinching his sleeve.

Fang Xiu blinked. “See what?”

“The real mountains.” Bai Shuangying picked up the Peach Bone Evil with his other hand. “Even if it’s an illusion, I can do better.”

Before Fang Xiu could respond, he tapped the ground with the Peach Bone Evil.

In an instant, the glass before them vanished.

Moonlight poured in. Stars glittered above.

Damp night wind swept the room, billowing the curtains. The air carried the scent of earth and plants, filled with insect chirps and bird calls.

They felt as if they were sitting in a mountain courtyard, not a cruel ritual site.

In the mountain breeze, Fang Xiu turned to look at Bai Shuangying.

Those pale eyes met his, still emotionless. The wind stirred Bai Shuangying’s long hair, strands brushing his lips, then falling away.

Fang Xiu forgot the pain, forgot how to speak.

Bai Shuangying stared at him. “You’re in such bad shape, you should see better scenery.”

Fang Xiu gently reached out. Just before touching the red mole, he veered and tucked Bai Shuangying’s hair behind his ear.

The strands brushed Bai Shuangying’s face. His eyes didn’t blink, didn’t move, like a dead thing.

“Even the best illusion… is still just an illusion,” After a while, Fang Xiu whispered.

Bai Shuangying was indifferent. “If life and death are both within illusions, then what difference does it make?”

Fang Xiu was silent for a long time, then smiled. “True.”

He stretched his lone arm, trying to embrace Bai Shuangying. But without his left arm, he couldn’t keep balance and gave up.

In the end, he awkwardly leaned against Bai Shuangying, like a frozen animal against a car, seeking residual warmth.

“To be honest, Miss Zhang Haizhen, the girl Shang Debao killed, wasn’t really my loved one. In fact, she was a client.”

Bathed in mountain wind, Fang Xiu rambled again. “She really did want to marry after graduation, but not me. She found me after her death. We had no relationship beyond the commission…”

Bai Shuangying: “?”

The topic jumped so fast he was a bit lost.

“I mean, you’re still my first and only lawful spouse. I didn’t secretly remarry.”

Fang Xiu showed the hair-ring. With no left hand, he’d moved it to his right ring finger.

Bai Shuangying nodded, then frowned. “Why didn’t I marry you?”

“…That works too.”

Fang Xiu laughed, which again pulled his wound, drawing sweat from his brow.

Bai Shuangying looked at him and brushed the sweat away. The cool white fabric instantly made Fang Xiu feel better.

“Thanks, hubby, wifey, darling, sweetheart,” Fang Xiu joked. “Pick your favorite.”

Bai Shuangying suddenly felt that the phrase “Thank you, God” from the God of Weishan had been so elegantly succinct.

This human was ridiculous.

Still, seeing Fang Xiu’s spirits rise, he let it go.

“…Just kidding.” Fang Xiu leaned on his shoulder. “Back to business. If these rooms are ‘illusions anchored to reality’, why are they so different?”

Bai Shuangying: “See for yourself.”

He activated the Peach Bone Evil. A faint white thread appeared, drifting around the room.

Fang Xiu immediately focused on it. He reached out to grab it. “What is it?”

Bai Shuangying: “Karmic thread. This room is tied to someone’s karma. It’s built from their memories.”

Fang Xiu stretched and managed to catch it, only for it to dissolve in his hand.

Before he could ask, it reformed a few meters away, floating like a ghost.

“Don’t bother. You have no karma with this room. You’re not linked to it,” Bai Shuangying said.

Fang Xiu deflated. “Oh…”

Then he seemed to remember something and fell unusually quiet. Bai Shuangying didn’t force the conversation, idly fiddling with Peach Bone Evil.

After a while, he noticed Fang Xiu’s breathing had become steady and shallow.

He’d fallen asleep leaning on him.

In the breeze, Fang Xiu was doing better. He was no longer sweating and tossing and turning, but his frow still furrowed in pain, trembling every now and then.

His right hand still tightly clutched Bai Shuangying’s sleeve.

Bai Shuangying glanced at his severed left shoulder, then the soaked bedsheet. In the end, he picked Fang Xiu up and carried him to the bathtub.

Then he reverted to his true form.

Bai Shuangying submerged most of Fang Xiu’s body, letting the wounded stump soak in him. He dulled the pain into near-death numbness, knowing Fang Xiu needed it.

Lack of rest would ruin a human’s condition.

This time, Fang Xiu didn’t gnaw on him in his sleep. He just relaxed and stretched his right arm, awkwardly wrapping around Bai Shuangying.

“…Thanks,” Fang Xiu murmured. “Thank you, Bai Shuangying.”

……

The next day, Fang Xiu woke up inside Bai Shuangying’s real body, and he nearly sprang out of the bathtub on the spot.

His entire body first turned as red as his T-shirt, then gradually returned to white, before he fell into deep thought.

Finally, he said solemnly, “So… we’re just gonna sleep like this from now on?”

Considering this man was going to chop of a piece of him again tonight, Bai Shuangying had no objections.

He deliberately observed for a while and noticed that although Fang Xiu was still breaking into cold sweat, his mental state was much better than the night before.

…The pain curse was clearly still in effect, yet this guy’s tolerance to pain was downright abnormal.

Meanwhile, Fang Xiu carefully smoothed out the wrinkles on his shirt and happily admired the mountain forest under the morning sun.

“Let’s go find Song Zheng and the others,” Fang Xiu said, chest out and head held high.

Then he opened the door…only to find three mushrooms squatting right outside. Mushroom-Song Zheng had brought Xiao Tian and Xiao Li, all of them staring eagerly, waiting for him to wake up.

Apparently, after a night of hesitation, the three of them still decided that “not getting to eat” was scarier than “Fang Xiu is a killer”.

Cheng Songyun and Guan He were also waiting outside. Both of them had all their limbs intact, just dark circles under their eyes. Seeing the relaxed look on Fang Xiu’s face, they clearly let out a breath of relief.

Fang Xiu’s lips lifted in a smile. He opened the door wide. “Come in, I was just about to look for you.”

He’d already prepared food inside. When they saw the floor covered in meat, snacks, and drinks, Song Zheng’s eyes turned green. “How much intel do you want for this?”

Fang Xiu: “This meal’s on me. Consider it a thank-you for last night.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the three of them darted forward and started scarfing down food with zero dignity. After swallowing a big mouthful of meat, Song Zheng’s eyes welled up with tears. Xiao Tian and Xiao Li simply ate while crying.

“No rush. There’s more after this,” Fang Xiu said, a little pained to see this. Just how long had these people been surviving on rice soup and plain veggie rice?

Song Zheng chewed as he tried to speak. “As long as—mmff—we get food—mmff—we’ll do anything to help…”

Fang Xiu raised his eyebrows. “Not afraid I’ll go on a killing spree?”

Song Zheng hurriedly swallowed. “Hey, last night was just too sudden. I didn’t have time to react. That guy had blood debt points. When they’re redeemed, his crimes get broadcast publicly, exactly like you said.”

“Trash like that deserves to die. I fully support your revenge!” Xiao Tian choked out through bites of pastry.

“…Just eat first. Talk later,” Fang Xiu said, a little worried they might choke to death right then and there.

He turned to his own companions and pulled them aside. “How’d things go for you two last night?”

Guan He: “A female server came to my room and took away the pile of human meat. She even sniffed it and said it didn’t have the smell of a transaction.”

Fang Xiu: “She didn’t say anything else?”

“She threw in some sarcastic jab, said, ‘You have to rely on yourself. Acting like this, no wonder you can’t get a girl.’”

At this, Guan He frowned. “That was totally out of nowhere. Who talks about falling in love in a situation like this?”

Fang Xiu: “…Well, not necessarily. ‘Falling in love’ and ‘pure lust’ are two different things.”

Guan He: “?”

Fang Xiu looked away. “Go on.”

“That’s it. She left after saying that,” said Guan He.

Cheng Songyun took over naturally. “A man came to my room. It went about the same as Xiao He’s. But after he took the meat, he just left. Didn’t say a word.”

She lowered her eyes. “Maybe they already know. There’s no point telling me anything. I won’t gamble anyway.”

Fang Xiu’s brow twitched.

Both their rooms got opposite-sex servers, so why was his a same-sex one?

He sure didn’t think Mr. Eight Teeth had a shred of charm. Just remembering those sales pitches gave him a headache; he almost wanted to carve “unsubscribe” into the guy’s forehead.

…Whatever. Not an important detail.

Fang Xiu opened his mouth, just about to organize his findings, when Cheng Songyun continued on her own.

“Just in case, I spent the night in my own house,” she said.

She took a deep breath. “…And then something terrifying happened.”

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The author has something to say:

Huanxi E: I see now—you’re into non-human male types. Then a handsome male apparition is sure to be a flawless choice!

Fang Xiu: [Unsubscribe*]

*Clarity: He’s typing TD which people usually do in China when they think they are getting spam. It’s basically equivalent to STOP, Unsubscribe, Cancel, ect.

Actually, Xiao Fang’s weight is pretty unhealthy, so everyone, don’t follow his example (???).

In the future, Xiao Bai will fatten him up!

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Kinky Thoughts:

Uh… I think it’s a pretty important detail lol.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 49: Taboo Loophole

“We’ll break the taboo together,” Fang Xiu said.

Hearing this, Song Zheng grew anxious but didn’t want to give out free intel. After a long pause, he said, “Then I’ll keep showing you around… Are we still waiting for those three?”

Jia Xu and the others had gone to the service desk to upgrade the guestroom menu and hadn’t returned yet.

Fang Xiu smiled, but his eyes held no amusement. “No need. We’re probably looking for different things.”

After hesitating for a few seconds, Song Zheng led them to the high-low dice game area.

The people here mostly looked dusty and worn out, their faces blank with numb expressions. Their auras resembled mushrooms growing in the corner, clearly a “Bankrupt Alliance”.

Song Zheng plucked two of the “mushrooms” from the group and introduced them. “These two are my teammates. Xiao Tian and Xiao Li.”

He pointed first to the young woman, then to the young man beside her.

Both were pale and emaciated, their expressions so blank they looked like they were wearing masks. But upon hearing Song Zheng introduce them, they both nodded slightly.

“How’s today?” Song Zheng asked.

Xiao Tian: “I won one round at the start. Xiao Li lost two, won one. His chips are even. Bro, you haven’t won yet, right?”

Song Zheng shook his head.

Xiao Li: “One bowl of veggie rice per person today. That’s a straight deduction of three chips. We’ve only got eleven chips left. Lao Song, don’t lose too badly today, or we’ll be down to just rice soup.”

He said this listlessly, his tone utterly flat.

Song Zheng looked at Fang Xiu. “Mind if I play a bit?”

Fang Xiu shook his head.

Song Zheng blew warm air onto both hands, rubbed them vigorously, and stepped toward the high-low table. Despite the fallen state of the players, the dealer’s smile remained as sweet as ever.

Song Zheng cautiously took out one chip and placed it. “Small.”

The dice rattled. 1, 5, 6. “Big”.

One chip was instantly gone.

He pulled out another chip, gritted his teeth. “Small!”

Dealer rolled. 4, 4, 6. “Big” again.

Sweat beaded on Song Zheng’s forehead. He wiped his palms on his pants and pulled out another chip. “Big…”

Dealer smiled and rolled 1, 2, 4. This time “Small”.

In a flash, three chips vanished.

Xiao Li cursed under his breath. Song Zheng sighed repeatedly. Half a minute later, he licked his cracked lips, shivering slightly, and placed another chip. “…Small.”

Finally, the dice came up 1, 3, 4. “Small”.

Realizing he’d won, Song Zheng slumped slightly in relief.

“We’re down to 9 chips. Breaking even, we can last maybe three more days,” Xiao Tian said bitterly. “Maybe… maybe I should trade the karma between me and my sister…”

She shivered slightly, then forced a calm tone. “A hundred chips. That’ll last us a few more weeks.”

Having just seen Jia Xu easily turn 1 chip into over a thousand, then looking at these folks grinding chip by chip, Guan He felt a surreal sense of absurdity.

He couldn’t help licking his lips. “What about familiar folks? Have you… traded all of them?”

Hearing this, Xiao Tian gave a furious laugh.

Song Zheng shook his head and sighed. “Let me explain. It’s not valuable info, so I won’t charge.”

…Once, his team had been young, strong, and in harmony.

Together, they’d cleared three rituals. This was Song Zheng’s fourth. Having five people enter a fourth trial spoke volumes about their strength.

A month ago, they arrived at Huanxi World.

Like Fang Xiu, they disliked the place and wanted only to destroy the “E”.

Everyone agreed to win just once per day, no greed. To prevent anyone from getting carried away, they centralized chip management.

“We lent all our chips, interest-free, to the calmest person in the group, A’Qing,” Song Zheng said with a bitter smile. “He’s a PhD from a prestigious university, the smartest in our group. He did the most in our first three rituals.”

Guan He glanced at Fang Xiu… A’Qing sounded like their group’s “Fang Xiu”.

Fang Xiu: “And then?”

“A’Qing suggested we first trade away unimportant acquaintances for chips. Then take turns playing high-low using a martingale strategy. Know martingale? If you lose a round, you double the chips on the next.”

“That way, just one win recovers all losses plus profit. That profit buys veggie rice, and with free rice soup, you survive the day. Sounds foolproof.”

Cheng Songyun sneered. Guan He mentally ran the math and agreed.

If Song Zheng had used martingale: bet 1 lose 1, bet 2 lose 2, bet 4 win 4. Net gain: 1 chip.

Too bad Song Zheng hadn’t enough chips… Wait, not enough chips?

Guan He suddenly realized something and looked up at Song Zheng.

Song Zheng closed his eyes. “At first it worked great…until one day, A’Qing lost five rounds in a row.”

Fang Xiu hummed. “Lost 31 chips total. Sixth round would require betting 32.”

“Yeah. We only had four chips left. I advised A’Qing to switch to betting one per round to make do. But A’Qing wouldn’t accept it. He said keeping only four chips was too risky. The odds couldn’t be that cursed.”

Song Zheng looked down.

Things unfolded as Fang Xiu had guessed.

A’Qing, who was carrying a blood debt from an accidental death, wasn’t heavily penalized for revealing it. Brimming with confidence, he traded for 1,000 chips to continue martingaling.

…Then he lost five more rounds.

By round 10, he’d lost 1,023 chips. Round 11 required betting 1,024. But now the group had just a few chips left again.

Throughout this, Song Zheng had tried to stop him, but A’Qing had the chips and insisted.

“Ten losses in a row on 50/50 odds? Impossible… Unrealistic…”

A’Qing slumped soullessly at the table. The dealer’s smile didn’t flicker. 1,000+ chips devoured in silence by three dice.

Then A’Qing began exchanging again.

He traded every colleague and classmate he knew, his glamorous job, his properties, all his savings. “It’s fine,” he said, “once I pass the trial, I can wish for tons of money.”

…Thus, he scraped together 1,024 chips and bet again.

Round 11, loss.

Total chips lost: 2,047. Next round would need 2,048.

But they had nothing left.

“Odds can’t be this cursed,” A’Qing muttered, yanking at his hair. “I need more chips…”

“More chips, my ass!” Song Zheng snapped. “The only thing left to trade is family! You crazy?!”

A’Qing snapped too, eyes bloodshot. “So what? I haven’t won once today! If I bet 1 chip now and win, all my previous losses were a joke?!”

Gritting his teeth, Song Zheng grabbed A’Qing’s collar and marched to the service desk, trading in his own blood debt.

His blood debt was also accidental death. After trading, he said coldly, “I’ll lend you chips—one at a time. Go bet one by one.”

A’Qing stared at him for a while, then smiled a little manically and turned to the desk. “I’ll trade my beloved. I have a childhood fiancée…we were planning to marry by the end of the year.”

Song Zheng: “What the f—”

“If the karma’s gone, it’s gone. I’ll just pursue her again after this. It’s not irreversible…” A’Qing’s eyes bulged. “Can I trade it?”

“Verification complete. You do love your fiancée. How enviable.”

The girl at the counter smiled sweetly. “Here you go. 100 chips. Your karmic bond between you and your lover is cleared.”

A’Qing stared at the chip for a while.

They’d known each other for over ten years, and it ended just like that… It felt too easy.

After a while, A’Qing’s throat moved. “I’ll also trade my grandparents.”

“They have many grandchildren, not just me. They’re old anyway. Even if they forget me, it’s okay…”

He muttered, not sure who he was trying to convince.

“Here’s your 200 chips. Your karmic bond with your grandparents is cleared.”

Holding the 300 chips, A’Qing squatted silently for a long time. The “100” printed on each chip looked like strange pupils staring at him with a twisted tenderness.

A’Qing didn’t take Song Zheng’s chip. He bet the 300 directly.

This time, he didn’t bet high-low. He bet that the total dice sum would be 9, 10, 11, or 12. Odds: 6 to 1.

…And he won.

Guan He was stunned. “Winning’s good, isn’t it? Now he has 2,100 chips. He’s recovered completely.”

Plus Song Zheng’s 1,000, if he just bet carefully now, things shouldn’t have ended like this.

Fang Xiu showed no expression. “Everyone knows the logic. But do you think someone who won or lost over a thousand chips in one go would bet one by one again?”

Guan He was stunned, at a loss for words.

Once the discipline breaks, once the chips you’ve traded with your life… once you tasted the rush of a thousand-chip win… the human mind suffered a ‘broken window effect’. Once you take the first step, the second is inevitable.

Before Song Zheng could continue, Xiao Tian frowned. “After that, Song Ge wouldn’t let A’Qing handle the chips anymore. But A’Qing insisted he was right. Said if he’d listened to Song Ge, they’d have lost everything.”

“He said he’d switch to playing poker, a ‘higher skill game’, and even took another group member. Thinking about it now…”

Song Zheng shook his head to stop her.

He concluded directly, “In the end, A’Qing lost his parents too. Once he traded everything, he said returning to the human world was meaningless. Might as well stay here, win more chips, live in comfort.”

“So he tricked us, pretended he wanted to return, and stole all our chips… As for how, that’s paid info.”

Guan He: “Huh? He’s not dead?”

Song Zheng made it sound like a eulogy. He thought A’Qing had gambled himself into oblivion.

Song Zheng grinned. “Nah, now he owes Uncle Hou a lot of chips. Uncle Hou values his brains and keeps him working… Oh, Uncle Hou’s that fat guy. His info’s also paid.”

Guan He nervously glanced at Fang Xiu again.

Fang Xiu was an orphan and seemingly unmarried, with fewer human ties than A’Qing. Guan He imagined Fang Xiu turning into another A’Qing and broke into cold sweat.

Fang Xiu, seeing Guan He’s expression, almost laughed. “Relax. I won’t gamble.”

Cheng Songyun had no reaction the whole time. She just quietly listened, her eyes unreadable.

After the story, Song Zheng finished showing them around Huanxi World.

The casino was massive, larger than the most extravagant malls Fang Xiu had ever visited. His legs felt weak from walking. Bai Shuangying occasionally tugged his collar to stop him from toppling over.

It didn’t help much. Fang Xiu still drifted sideways and muttered occasionally.

After grumbling about the lighting being too bright, Fang Xiu asked, “You said there’s only one evil spirit here… so what are the dealers and staff?”

Bai Shuangying: “Illusions.”

Seeing Fang Xiu blink in confusion, he added, “Like the pedestrians in Mid-Autumn E. But this E is much stronger, so the illusions are more refined.”

“This E is that strong?” Fang Xiu reached out, his fingertip brushing the ornate wallpaper.

“Evil spirits don’t need karma. The karma from chips is all consumed by the E.”

Bai Shuangying explained casually. “Objects with lingering will gather karma and becomes an ‘E’. The more karma, the stronger the E.”

Fang Xiu’s brows twitched. “If all the karma’s drained, wouldn’t the souls taste bland? Then how would you get nourished—cough, I mean, how would ghost immortals be raised?”

He’d seen ghosts eat sacrifices to grow an E but never seen an E and ghost fighting over food. Terrible working conditions. What ghost could bear it?

Bai Shuangying gave him a side glance. “Worry about yourself first.”

Fang Xiu grinned mysteriously. “The mountain hermit has his tricks*!”

*This comes from a phrase said by Zhuge Liang. The mountain hermit refers to himself, because he was originally considered a hermit. The full context would be like “though I am a humble man from the mountains, I have a good solution.” In this context, it’s basically Fang Xiu playfully saying, “don’t worry about me, I have my ways/solution/trick up my sleeve.”

……

“I still think the safest way to win once a day is to trade some familiar people, draw a chip, and bet on high-low,” Song Zheng said gently after they returned to the first floor. “Breaking a taboo is too risky.”

Fang Xiu raised his hand cheerfully. “The first taboo says, ‘you must win once a day.’ Does that necessarily mean ‘you must win a bet in Huanxi World’?”

Upon hearing this, a trace of nostalgia crossed Song Zheng’s face. “When we first got here, A’Qing raised that same question.”

“We tried gambling in private with people who had nothing, even wagering magic weapons or food, intentionally losing to let the other win. We also tried clear win/lose games like arm wrestling. It was all useless.”

“‘Win once’ strictly means ‘win a game with chips in Huanxi World.’ There’s no loophole.”

After his reflection, he caught himself. “Wait, that was paid info…”

Fang Xiu held back a laugh. “Mhm, I’ll pay you with a roast chicken.”

He wasn’t disappointed. If the first taboo were that easy to bypass, 800+ people wouldn’t be stuck here.

Then Fang Xiu stretched a bit and walked once more toward the high-low tables.

Cheng Songyun frowned. “Xiao Fang, didn’t you say you wouldn’t gamble? You—”

Before she could finish, Fang Xiu suddenly lunged toward a figure in the corner. He moved behind the man and swiftly locked his throat.

That man was part of the “Bankrupt Alliance” over 1.9 meters tall. Yet he was scrawny and pale, looking even worse off than Song Zheng’s group.

He was sitting blankly when Fang Xiu struck. Several seconds passed before he realized what was happening. Fang Xiu leaned on the chair back with his body weight, choking the man tightly in place. In minutes, he was dead, without even a struggle.

The noise wasn’t huge but seeing someone killed so casually stunned everyone nearby.

Song Zheng was frozen. He spread his arms, shielding his teammates like baby chicks. “Y-Y-You—”

Fang Xiu didn’t explain. He took out a chip, drew a circle around the corpse, and scanned the surroundings.

Sure enough, within 30 seconds someone arrived. A man built like a tank with a hostile air, clearly another sacrifice.

“Kid, there are rules here.” The brawny man’s voice was low. “Explain. Now.”

He crossed his arms in front of his chest and his muscles were tense. His forearms were thicker than Fang Xiu’s thighs.

Fang Xiu: “He had a personal vendetta with me. He killed someone close to me.”

The man frowned. “…Go on.”

“Shang Debao. 41, from Chou Province. I know him. Outside, he raped and killed two girls. One of them was Haizhen—Zhang Haizhen. She was a grad student at the time. She said they’d get married after graduation.”

Fang Xiu stared down at the man. “He killed someone close to me. I took revenge. Got a problem?”

The man paused, as if verifying his memory. In the end, he just clicked his tongue. “We’ll let it slide this time. Don’t do it again.”

He moved to deal with the body.

But Fang Xiu swiped his hand and stored the corpse in his qiankun pouch.

“What’s the meaning of this?”

The man’s face darkened. “Let me be clear. If you’re killing to harvest meat to beat the taboo, or trading human meat for chips, that’s taboo!”

Fang Xiu stood firm. “I just want to bring my enemy’s corpse back and tear it apart. Why are you meddling?”

The man glared silently, then growled, “I’ll remember you.”

Fang Xiu: “You have a good memory.”

The man left, fuming.

Song Zheng had never seen someone so reckless. “That guy works for Uncle Hou. You… Haa…”

He looked toward Fang Xiu’s companions, but Guan He and Cheng Songyun were equally stunned, speechless.

Eventually, Cheng Songyun struggled to speak. “I thought we couldn’t hurt people…”

“‘Deceiving, coercing, or harming others to gain chips or chip items is considered stealing chips.’”

Fang Xiu recited Huanxi World’s rules. “So, directly harvesting human meat is banned. Trading human meat for chips is banned. Even trading meat for meat is considered chip bartering. It’s still banned.”

“Trading meat for magic weapons, then selling the magic weapons for chips, whether that works, I don’t know. But given the mess here, it’s probably impossible.”

Cheng Songyun pressed her lips together. “So you can only cut your own flesh.”

“…No, you can still gift it.” Fang Xiu said brightly, “If I simply kill someone and give the corpse away for free, that breaks no rules.”

As he suspected, violence wasn’t entirely forbidden here.

If violence were banned outright, Song Zheng wouldn’t have warned them against broadcasting their intent to break the E. The enforcer of Uncle Hou who rushed over proved it…

You could use violence here and you could kill people. However, Huanxi World was so peaceful that it was quite “unprofitable” to do so.

Giving away a corpse for free might win you allies, but those you can win over are usually marginal players who can’t win once per day anyway. They’re only useful to loan sharks like Uncle Hou, not regular players.

…But that was under “normal circumstances”.

Fang Xiu patted his pouch. “This guy’s a bit weak, but still about 265 lbs. Cheng Jie, you and Xiao Guan can split him. Should last around eight days.”

Bai Shuangying frowned slightly. Guan He tensed up. “Fang Ge, what about you?”

Fang Xiu smiled. “I’ll have to break the taboo.”

“If I can’t crack the E in eight days, I’ll probably just have my head left. At that point, you guys do what you have to. Think for yourselves.”

Cheng Songyun: “……”

Guan He: “……”

“Don’t get all emotional. I need your cooperation.” 

Fang Xiu looked at Cheng Songyun in particular. “Whatever you do, don’t kill for me. If we start exchanging human meat and it gets flagged as next-day trading, we’re all doomed.”

Bai Shuangying stared at him, but Fang Xiu didn’t respond to the look, as if he assumed Bai wouldn’t care.

Bai Shuangying paused, then grabbed a wandering soul still drifting nearby.

Unhappily, he bit into it. Then immediately froze. He lifted his sleeve to cover his mouth and gagged delicately before spitting it out as politely as possible.

A soft “urgh” sounded. Fang Xiu spun around lightning-fast. “What happened?!”

“It tastes awful. I can’t eat it,” Bai Shuangying said frankly, still covering his mouth.

Fang Xiu: “…”

Fang Xiu said with conviction, “I’ll try my best and crack the E within three days.”

Bai Shuangying: “Mm.”

……

At 11:30 p.m., the casino lights began to dim. A golden light shimmered at the lobby. Fang Xiu nodded at Cheng Songyun and Guan He and dashed straight into it.

When he opened his eyes again, he was back in his mountain-view suite.

Seeing the change in his room, Fang Xiu lifted the corner of his mouth. “So thoughtful.”

A golden round table had appeared in the center of the room. On it sat an exceptionally sharp bone-cutting knife and a perfectly sized weighing scale.

Fang Xiu touched his left arm and sighed.

“Sorry again,” he said to it.

---

The author has something to say:

There’s no such thing as a good ending for a gambling addict. There’s no such thing as a guaranteed win.

Gambling is *not* cool! Gamblers are just as disgusting as johns and junkies. Porn, drugs, and gambling go hand in hand.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 48: Chip Exchange

Bai Shuangying protectively wrapped an arm around Fang Xiu, holding the Peach Bone Evil across Fang Xiu’s chest. The pose looked less like protection and more like a bandit holding a hostage.

The hostage surnamed Fang looked up, eyes sparkling. “Bai Shuangying, look, there are so many living souls here.”

“Mm.” Bai Shuangying remained vigilant, scanning the surroundings in case his human got trampled.

Thankfully, no one got physical. People just kept begging like broken recorders, their postures both pathetic and ridiculous.

“This isn’t our first ritual. We’re not idiots!”

As more people gathered, Jia Xu stepped to the front, raising his voice. “We’re not lending anything! Not until we know what’s going on!”

Blondie shoved people back. “All I’ve got is one chip, now fuck off!”

Driven off, the crowd dispersed like zombies, though a few, especially the good-looking ones, kept trying to sell themselves.

They were scantily dressed, practically pressing themselves forward: “The menu says one night is 100 chips. I only ask for 1! Please think it over…”

Cheng Songyun looked extremely unwell, and being older, no one approached her. Guan He shouted, “I’m not even of age!” and awkwardly hid behind her.

Seeing a man and woman rushing his way, Fang Xiu moved his hair-ring from his middle finger to his ring finger. “Married. Deeply in love. Don’t make me punch you.”

He said it so convincingly even Cheng Songyun wavered for two seconds.

Blondie gasped, “Bro, you’re really into male beauty ghosts?”

Fang Xiu: “The Underworld doesn’t ban office romances.”

Bai Shuangying: “?”

Blondie: “???”

Fang Xiu chuckled: “Just kidding. We’re not dating.”

Blondie looked at him half-doubtful and mumbled a few things.

Bai Shuangying, however, stared at Fang Xiu for a while, until the conman started blushing. “Hey, if it bothers you, I won’t use that excuse again.”

Bai Shuangying replied without hesitation, “I don’t mind. Use it as you like.”

It was just a label. He’d been called worse. And besides, this was one of the nicer ones. Then, realizing “as you like” might be too broad, Bai Shuangying added quietly, “But you and I can only be in a proper, formally recognized relationship. Don’t assign me any indecent roles.”

Fang Xiu: “…”

His mouth opened and closed before stammering, “…Okay.”

Then he quickly looked away, scanning the surroundings as if to purge the phrase “formally recognized” from his mind.

While they were being pestered, the rest of the lobby had moved on to legitimate transactions.

Well…“legitimate” as in chip trades.

Some traded their bodies, others bartered their magic weapons or room cards. A few sold off previous gains like jewelry and liquor. Fang Xiu listened carefully, but didn’t hear anything about “human meat”.

Some people rented chips on the spot. The nicer ones asked for a 9-for-13 return; the nastier ones demanded double repayment.

Each time a deal was struck, a beam of golden light flashed around the pair, flashier than a pay-to-win game level-up screen.

The liveliest “stall” was in the center of the hall, manned by a fat guy.

He had a round nose and plump earlobe looking quite jolly.

His pockets were stuffed with chips, and people lined up around him to rent. Golden light flashed constantly, chips circulating like a mini bank.

Fang Xiu watched and realized the “1” chip he held was the lowest denomination.

The fat man’s minimum was “10”. He had a good number of “50” and “100” chips, and even a few rare “200” and “1000” ones. The “1000” chip sparkled like it was made of real gold.

They lay in plain sight. People stared hungrily, but no one dared snatch them.

Everything seemed peaceful, too peaceful.

Earlier, the crowd surged at them. After being rejected, they retreated obediently without a single scuffle.

Trading chips was life or death, yet the atmosphere was tamer than a senior citizens’ farmers market. With this many scumbags around, that was suspicious.

No way… is violence banned here?

Fang Xiu felt a bit glum at the thought. No business for his ghost meant no food. For the first time, he felt united with the Underworld in wanting to wreck this ritual ASAP.

“The taboo centers on chips…” Fang Xiu leaned into his ghost’s chest, muttering while staring at the fat guy.

“To get chips, you have to trade legitimately, either with Huanxi World or others. With ‘theft is forbidden’ as a taboo, stealing or robbing would trigger punishment.”

A man’s voice came from behind. Fang Xiu turned to see a tramp-like figure.

The man looked about thirty, with a dignified face…ruined by fatigue and bloodshot eyes. His faint authority was paper-thin.

“I’m Song Zheng. I represent my team and want to trade with you,” the man introduced.

Fang Xiu raised an eyebrow: “I’m not buying or selling chips.”

Song Zheng looked around, then lowered his voice: “I’d like to trade information for food.”

“…How do you know I have food?” Fang Xiu narrowed his eyes.

Song Zheng sighed. “To be honest, I was the one spying on you guys earlier.

“I heard someone say, ‘we’ve got food and shelter’, and saw them going to your room for supplies. You must have a way to obtain food.”

“You’re new here, so intel could be useful… Of course, it’s up to you.”

Fang Xiu studied his face. This guy wasn’t on his “bad people” list.

“Alright,” Fang Xiu said.

He’d been thinking of trading food for intel anyway. The approach saved him the trouble.

Song Zheng was sharp and decisive. Fang Xiu didn’t mind dealing with people like that.

Fang Xiu reached into his qiankun pouch for a drink can as a down payment…only to touch the chip.

Song Zheng gave a wry smile. “Only chips and Underworld magic weapons work here. Regular stuff doesn’t make it in.”

Fang Xiu was surprised. “Then how are those people making deals?”

He’d clearly heard of people trading room cards and physical goods. But with endless floors, how would they find each other again?

Song Zheng: “Oh, the ritual guarantees delivery. As long as a deal is made here, the room menu will gain a new option.

“The buyer clicks it, and the seller automatically gets the chips. No need for either party to meet, unless it’s a physical service.”

Fang Xiu fell silent.

So Song Zheng could only make this non-chip deal because they happened to be on the same floor. Otherwise, even knowing Fang Xiu had food, he wouldn’t be able to find him.

Previous rituals pushed people toward internal conflict. This one seemed terrified of disputes and even acted as a third-party escrow platform.

…What kind of obsession could have birthed this thing?

“You give a quick intro later. Once we’re back, I’ll give you food,” Fang Xiu said, feeling a bit drained.

……

At 6:30 PM sharp, the doors of Huanxi World slowly opened.

The inside was even more lavish, like a six-floor grand theater. The air carried invigorating incense, and the lights were brighter than day.

Slot machines blinked, roulette tables were everywhere. Each gambling station had scantily clad beauties or handsome hosts, their sweet smiles unnervingly fixed.

At the center of the first floor was a futuristic circular service desk. Above it hung a massive screen displaying glowing words: “Chip Exchange Counter”.

Below that, instructions read:

[Huanxi Xin Karma-to-Chip Exchange Chart]

• Loved ones and friends: 1 chip per person
• Current job: 10 chips per position
• Current savings: 10 chips per 10,000 yuan
• Beloved partner: 100 chips
• Blood relatives: 100 chips per person
• Property: 100 chips per property
• Blood debts: 1000 chips per incident

~Special Offer~

Bonus 10 chips for every 100 chips exchanged!

Win 100 chips to unlock intermediate [Service Menu]!

Win 1000 chips to unlock advanced [Service Menu]!

※ Notes ※

① All trades are regulated by Huanxi World.

② A 10% service fee applies to trades ≥10 chips.

③ Fraud, coercion, or harm to gain chips/items = theft. Huanxi World will confiscate all chips.

Song Zheng, now acting like a tour guide, explained, “If you run out of chips, you can come to the service desk to exchange. But remember, doing so means sacrificing your karma.”

“For example, trading in ‘loved ones and friends’ makes them forget you completely. ‘Current job’ means you’ll lose it in the living world.”

Jia Xu was curious. “What about ‘blood debts’? If they’re erased, wouldn’t that be a win-win?”

Song Zheng: “…That one’s different. If you trade your blood debts, your crimes will be made public, both here and in the living world.”

Jia Xu dropped the subject. Blondie, on the other hand, was intrigued. “So the Service Menu has upgrade levels?”

Song Zheng: “Your rooms don’t have utilities, right?”

Jia Xu casually replied: “My fridge has solar storage, so it works. But yeah, the rest doesn’t.”

Song Zheng smiled politely and continued, “I heard the intermediate menu unlocks full room functionality. Advanced ones even provide internet. Aside from not contacting the living or traveling, it’s just like the real world.”

“Holy crap…” Blondie was visibly tempted.

His thoughts were practically written on his face… The ritual only required daily wins and holding a chip. As long as you played nice, the taboos were easy.

With enough chips, they could upgrade rooms, enjoy gourmet food and companions, even surf the internet.

Song Zheng looked down. “A lot of people genuinely want to live here long-term. If you’re planning to break the E, best keep it quiet.”

Fang Xiu rubbed his lips, eyes locked on the screen.

Second taboo: All stakes must be exchanged with life. Steal and be punished.

…So this was what “paying with life” meant. Huanxi World earned and spent its own chips, with exchange and service tables forming a full economic loop.

Song Zheng turned to Fang Xiu. “That’s all I can explain for now. Any other questions?”

“I have two.”

Fang Xiu pointed to the lobby. “First, what’s that little door?”

At 6:30, more than one door opened.

Aside from the gaudy main entrance, a narrow side door opened quietly. It was dark, dim, and almost invisible. Fang Xiu barely noticed it.

A faded “Emergency Exit” sign hung above it, but it wasn’t lit.

Song Zheng licked his lips nervously. “I’ll tell you once I get the food. For now, I can only say, it’s a ‘pick one of two’ door.

“If you enter Huanxi World tonight, you can’t go through that door. And vice versa, once you step through it, you can’t come here tonight.”

Cheng Songyun: “We can split up and explore. I’ll go there.”

The casino was fancy and comfortable, but she looked like she didn’t want to stay a second.

Song Zheng hesitated, then warned. “That’s not a casino. Choosing that path guarantees breaking a taboo.”

First taboo: You must win a game daily. Fail, and suffer harm.

Fang Xiu nodded. “That leads to my second question, if we don’t win, what kind of ‘harm’ is it?”

Song Zheng hesitated, then finally said, “13 pounds of flesh.”

“…What?”

“If you don’t win anything by midnight, you must offer 13 pounds of human meat. Otherwise, Huanxi World will deduct 1000 chips from you… and if you don’t have enough, you’ll trigger the death taboo.”

Third taboo: You must always hold a chip. Lose it, and die. 

Cheng Songyun’s hands shook on her prayer beads. “If I don’t gamble, I lose 13 pounds of flesh daily?”

She was barely 105 pounds total. She wouldn’t last long.

And they couldn’t kill someone to harvest meat, either. That would count as stealing a 1000-chip “chip item”, triggering full confiscation and risking death.

“Don’t overthink it for now. We’ve got daylight left to figure it out.”

Jia Xu wasn’t concerned. “Since we’re already here, let’s just get today’s win out of the way.”

He rolled his human-bone die and walked to the nearest roulette table.

“Single bet, red 16.” He placed the chip down. The pretty dealer smiled sweetly and nodded.

After placing his bet, Jia Xu turned to the others. “Anyone want in?”

With a 1/36 chance, no one spoke. Even Blondie laughed nervously. “After you, boss.”

Jia Xu rubbed his die and said nothing.

The roulette spun. The ball bounced between black and red, slowing… and landed on 16.

At 35:1 odds, Jia Xu’s 1 chip became 36.

He cleared his throat dramatically and looked at the others. “Gonna play again. You joining this time?”

Blondie jumped forward with a yell. Mei Lan silently followed. Guan He hesitated, but a death grip on his wrist stopped him. Cheng Songyun looked frayed and the blood vessels around her eyes looked ready to burst.

“Don’t touch that, child,” she said nearly hysterical.

Guan He looked at Fang Xiu, who hadn’t moved and just stood arms crossed, watching. So he obediently stayed put.

Jia Xu glanced at them, half-smirking, then placed another single bet on red 36.

The ball spun again, and landed squarely on 36.

Jia Xu’s chips skyrocketed to 1296. Blondie and Mei Lan now had 36 each. The smiling dealer handed Jia Xu a gleaming 1000-chip token.

“Sir, you’re amazing,” she cooed. “You can now upgrade your service menu, and any staff here is available for a night’s pleasure~”

She winked at Jia Xu, completely ignoring the onlookers.

Two perfect bets from a newcomer drew every gaze, including that of the fat chip mogul in the lobby.

Jia Xu puffed up, basking in the attention.

It didn’t matter. He had the “Luck Borrowing Dice”. No one could steal it. Violence was banned. This was paradise!

Blondie hooked an arm around Jia Xu, face glowing. “Yahoo! Taboo cleared for today. You’re a beast, Jia Ge!”

Jia Xu stayed humble. “It’s nothing.”

Then he turned to Fang Xiu and coughed. “From here, you guys are on your own. It’s not that I won’t help, but the dice has limits. You remember, right…”

Fang Xiu nodded: “I remember.”

The “Luck Borrowing Dice” borrowed future luck for present gain, making the user wildly lucky.

But the balance had to be paid. The luck borrowed would be repaid back in the future with misfortune. As the price for violating the way of Heaven, the total amount of bad luck returned will be more than the good luck borrowed, equivalent to a kind of interest.

When Fang Xiu first read the description, he felt it really should’ve been called a “Luck Loan”.

But unlike loans in the living world, the “repayment” of bad luck was calculated backwards from the user’s death date, as recorded in the Book of Life and Death.

If Jia Xu only borrowed luck for one day, he’d pay for it with bad luck on the day he was meant to die. If he borrowed again tomorrow, he’d also suffer on the day before that… and so on.

To be fair, this artifact was quite practical, and Jia Xu’s choice wasn’t wrong. The same amount of luck meant far more in a life-or-death ritual than in everyday life.

But he shouldn’t have used it in this setting, Fang Xiu thought.

Jia Xu, riding high on his win, turned to Fang Xiu. “I’m heading over to upgrade the advanced Service Menu. Wanna come take a look? There might be some new clues.”

Fang Xiu waved a hand. “No need. I can check it when we’re back.”

“Alright, let’s split up for now and regroup later.” Jia Xu was brisk and decisive.

Blondie slung an arm around Jia Xu again. Mei Lan clutched her chips and, after some hesitation, followed them.

Guan He nervously rolled his own chip between his fingers. “Fang Ge… what should we do? If we don’t win, we’ll have to give up 13 pounds of meat…”

Cheng Songyun cut in, firm and cold. “I’d rather die than gamble.”

Bai Shuangying looked down at Fang Xiu.

He knew. If Fang Xiu so wished, he could trade in an untold number of blood debts for chips. Just in the last two rituals, he had ended six lives.

Even if those debts were exposed to the human world, the human world couldn’t touch him. At 1000 chips per blood debt, those 6000 chips were practically free for Fang Xiu.

Fang Xiu lacked nothing in terms of food or comfort. From now on, he could just bet on red or black each night and “win once” without trouble. It didn’t seem like gifting chips was forbidden either, he could easily help his teammates.

But Bai Shuangying had never seen Fang Xiu this serious.

“Guan He,” Fang Xiu asked, after a long silence, his tone unusually grave, “how much do you trust me?”

Guan He swallowed hard. “Um… pretty much, I guess?”

“Then don’t gamble. Don’t trade your chip either. Tonight, we break a taboo together.”

---

The author has something to say:

Everyone, please believe me. When Xiao Fang says he’s going to fix the branches, he *really* means fixing the branches. Someone *will* be going offline lol.

Also, a small clarification for the comment section—

Aside from what’s listed on the service menu, everything else is free of charge. Their housing is completely free lol.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 47: Room Assignments

“Holy shit, they’re selling human meat?!” Blondie was shocked.

While he gasped, he tore off the chip and stuffed it into his pocket. The chip was kind of gross-looking, but what if this was the only free one they got? Better safe than sorry.

After surviving the fratricidal Mid-Autumn ritual, Guan He was a bit traumatized. He leaned toward Fang Xiu and whispered, “Fang Ge, with stuff like human meat and knives showing up again, are we about to start killing each other?”

Fang Xiu shook his head. “Doesn’t look like it for now. The meat’s for sale to us… It doesn’t mention buybacks.”

Everything else on the menu was normal, including meal options. The “human meat” was likely for some special scenario. As for what that “special scenario” was, there wasn’t enough information yet.

As Fang Xiu thought, he casually used his room card to swipe the same door Blondie had opened first.

When the scene inside was revealed, Blondie inhaled sharply with envy. It clearly hadn’t looked like this when he opened it!

If Blondie’s room was like a 200-yuan-a-night motel, then Fang Xiu’s was a 2000 yuan+ mountain-view luxury suite…

Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a stunning view of golden green autumn foliage, birds chirped cheerfully, and the room came with an oversized bed and a bathtub by the window.

Fang Xiu closed the door, then randomly picked another to test. It was another scenic mountain suite, with the same angle of sunlight streaming in.

A menu lay on the bed in the mountain-view room too, and beneath it was a wiggling chip, exactly the same as Blondie’s.

Fang Xiu: “Looks like the room follows the card.”

“This isn’t fair!” Blondie fumed. Now he felt like his crappy room was worthless.

He shoved Guan He, who also had a white envelope. “Kid, you try it.”

When Guan He’s room appeared, Blondie instantly felt better.

It was like a college dorm with four bunks, desks underneath and beds on top. Three of the beds were empty, and one had simple bedding with the same menu on the pillow.

High schooler Guan He: “Better than our school dorm. We had eight per room.”

He didn’t think it was unfair. Instead, he curiously looked around.

The three with white envelopes were done opening their rooms. Now it was the red envelope holders’ turn.

Cheng Songyun rubbed her prayer beads and swiped the door next to Guan He’s. The door creaked open, and her expression instantly changed.

Inside was a standard residential apartment, roughly 70 square meters, two bedrooms and a living room.

The decor was soft wood style, with healthy green plants by the window. The place was tidy and clean. The table was empty, but fruit bowls and other containers had been left behind.

On the entryway shoe cabinet sat a photo of a happy family of three.

The husband was upright-looking, holding a chubby-cheeked little girl with eyes full of love. The wife leaned into him as the two encircled their daughter, smiling with happiness and contentment.

Fang Xiu recognized the woman at a glance. It was a younger Cheng Songyun.

Cheng Songyun’s breathing grew rapid. She slammed the door shut and took a long time to recover. “…This is my house.”

Recalling how that “harmonious family” ended, Fang Xiu sighed inwardly.

Jia Xu mused, “So that’s what ‘karmic tie’ means.”

He swiped the door closest to him and laughed. “Well, what a coincidence. This one’s my house too.”

He flung the door wide open so everyone could see inside.

Jia Xu’s home had a dark metal theme. It was clear that a lot of money was spent on decoration. The place was split into two levels, with a cityscape view outside.

He even had a self-portrait on the wall in a contemplative pose, full of artistic flair.

Blondie clicked his tongue, looking around. “Damn, how many square meters is this?”

Jia Xu waved him off. “Just under 200 usable.”

“Not many decorations… It feels kinda empty,” Blondie commented regretfully, clearly not someone who appreciated minimalism.

Jia Xu: “…It’s called minimalist style.”

He left the door open and entered the bedroom. After a while, he came back with a chip-labeled menu. “Mine has a menu too. But my liquor cabinet and fridge are empty. There’s no food left in the house.”

The last to open a door was Mei Lan.

Her situation was slightly different. She said it was her ex-boyfriend’s place. The decor was also fancy, but a bit inferior to Jia Xu’s.

After everyone had seen each other’s rooms, Jia Xu cheerfully said, “Nice setup from the Underworld. Being in your own place is definitely the most comfortable. Xiao Guan, want to come stay with me? I’ve got a guest room upstairs, private bath included.”

Guan He mumbled, “I think the dorm’s fine.”

“Alright, let’s get down to business.” Jia Xu leaned against the wall, playing with the creepy chip with a confident smile on his face.

“Chips, the phrase ‘must win’—it’s obvious the theme of this ritual is staking¹,” he enunciated.

Cheng Songyun’s face darkened. She rarely snapped at people, but now she did. “If it’s gambling, just call it gambling. Don’t get all euphemistic¹.”

¹Clarity: Jia Xu uses the term [bocai] (博彩) while Cheng Songyun uses the term [dubo] (赌博). While they both mean gambling, the latter term has a negative connotation, while the former has a more neutral and sometimes even positive connotation.

Jia Xu said indifferently, “These days it’s mostly entertainment. Even national lotteries are gambling. A little wager is good for fun… It’s understandable if you can’t accept it at your age.”

Seeing how unsettled she looked, Fang Xiu placed a hand on her shoulder and gently applied pressure. Cheng Songyun took a deep breath and went back to counting her beads.

“Anyway, those three taboos seem trustworthy. With ruthless groups around, it wouldn’t take long to test them. There’s no need for empty threats.”

Jia Xu continued, “If we assume those taboos are real, they all revolve around one idea: ‘win’. We have to use this ritual-issued chip to win our way forward, using luck and brains.”

He looked around, his gaze lingering on Fang Xiu. “Right now, our priority is to find where the chips are used, and figure out what ‘stakes must be exchanged with life’ really means… How about we meet at my place? I’ve got a meeting room.”

Fang Xiu smiled politely: “Better to gather more intel first.”

Jia Xu clicked his tongue. “Fair. Anyway, we’ve got food and shelter. There’s no rush.”

As they spoke, the door next to Jia Xu’s suddenly opened a crack.

A chain lock held it in place. The room inside was pitch black… Only a single bloodshot eye moved rapidly, scanning them up and down.

No one screamed. After so much horror, they were mostly desensitized.

Jia Xu: “You—”

Before he could say “good”, the door slammed shut. The other party clearly didn’t want to chat.

Fang Xiu turned his head just as Bai Shuangying remarked, “Not an evil spirit.”

Fang Xiu nodded slightly.

So this ritual included other participants. But the hallway was so quiet, and the doors all identical, they couldn’t tell who was in which room, or how many there were.

Even though the three taboos were spelled out, there were still many puzzles…

As Fang Xiu was sorting his thoughts, Bai Shuangying leaned close, his cool long hair brushing Fang Xiu’s cheek.

“Eight hundred and eighty-eight people,” Bai Shuangying said. “Including you six, there are 888* sacrifices.”

*Clarity: In Chinese culture, the number 8 is considered lucky (since it sounds similar to the word  [fa] (發) which means to prosper), so 888 symbolizes triple fortune, further amplifying it. Given the context of gambling, it’s similar to how 7 is considered lucky in American culture, and casino slots often have 777 as the jackpot.

Fang Xiu’s eyes widened slightly at the outrageous number. Bai Shuangying added quietly, “The Peach Bone Evil is quite useful.”

Fang Xiu smiled with satisfaction. “Glad you like it.”

Last time, they had to manually count heads. Bai Shuangying’s sudden boost in power was clearly thanks to the staff.

Fang Xiu leaned slightly toward him and whispered, “Can you sense any evil spirits?”

Bai Shuangying: “I was just about to tell you, something’s off here… There’s nearly a thousand participants, but only one vengeful spirit.”

“And it’s not a normal one. I can sense its aura but can’t pinpoint its location.”

Only one evil spirit?!

Fang Xiu was shocked as he asked, “Wasn’t Li Shuo like that last time? Could this one also be a half-step ghost immortal?”

Bai Shuangying shook his head; Fang Xiu tilted his in confusion.

Instincts were hard to explain. Bai Shuangying thought for a few seconds and offered a metaphor Fang Xiu would understand. “Finding an evil spirit is like a person searching for other humans in a forest.”

“Li Shuo used the power of the E to craft a camouflage outfit. He blended in perfectly with the surroundings, making him hard to detect. But this evil spirit is more like a monkey. It’s not quite human, so I can’t track it with ‘human-finding’ methods.”

Fang Xiu: “That makes it sound kind of… low-level.”

To his surprise, Bai Shuangying nodded. “It is low-level. With me here, you don’t need to worry about the evil spirit. Just focus on breaking the E.”

Fang Xiu was stunned for two seconds.

Then he pinched Bai Shuangying’s sleeve and awkwardly said, “…Okay. I’ll leave it to you.”

……

There was still time, so they pocketed their cards and explored the building.

Good news: Huanxi Xin Apartments did have stairwells.

Bad news: No matter whether they went up or down, the floors seemed endless.

Worse news: Every floor looked exactly the same with identical doors, carpets, paintings… and dead silence.

There were no windows in the stairwells, and the floors weren’t labeled. Lose track for a second, and you couldn’t even find your way back to the starting floor. It felt like a horror game built around endless loops.

They never found the place where the “win a game daily” taboo was supposed to occur.

Fang Xiu hated climbing stairs. Exhausted, he eventually pulled out a can of Wangzai and tossed it down the stairwell.

The red can slipped between the narrow gaps by the railing, plummeting into the darkness. And then… nothing.

No sound of impact. It was as if the building extended straight to hell.

Blondie rubbed his goosebumps. “Let’s just head back. I hate this kind of weird nonsense the most.”

Seeing Fang Xiu about to speak, Jia Xu jumped in. “Right, let’s all go back for now. We can check things out again tonight. Switching from day to night always changes things, just like the last two rituals.”

Fang Xiu hummed and said no more. Jia Xu cleared his throat with satisfaction and led the way.

They returned to the original floor and picked six adjacent rooms to rest. Fang Xiu called everyone into his place to hand out food, as usual.

“Anyone unhappy with their room can come crash at my place. The mattress is five-star hotel-quality, super comfy,” Jia Xu said. “Hey Fang Xiu, give me some extra food. I just checked an my fridge still works.”

Fang Xiu was happy to oblige and handed over more food and drink. Jia Xu stashed it with satisfaction and sighed, “Don’t you think our luck’s finally turning around?”

Blondie: “Turning around? In this hellhole?”

Jia Xu: “Think about it. The only free thing here is rice soup. A bowl of veggie rice costs 1 chip, and a good meal 10. But with Fang Xiu on our team, we don’t need to worry about food.”

“Fair point.” Blondie stuffed a piece of pig head meat in his mouth.

Jia Xu twirled his chip. “This time it’s gambling, and the taboos don’t encourage in-fighting… If it’s about brains and luck, I won’t lose.”

Blondie choked. “What am I supposed to do? I’d rather fight.”

Jia Xu leaned in mysteriously. “Just follow my bets when the time comes. I guarantee you’ll win.”

Then he shot a side glance at Fang Xiu, who was sipping his drink, looking totally uninterested.

…Forget it, Jia Xu thought. Fang Xiu would eventually cave.

He himself had the best luck. His choice of the “Luck-Borrowing Dice” as his ritual magic weapon was brilliant. With both smarts and luck, Round 3 would be his playground!

Imagining Fang Xiu bowing his head, Jia Xu smirked.

Watching Jia Xu switch between brooding and grinning like an idiot, Fang Xiu became mildly concerned. “Bai Shuangying, are there any mind-altering spells in this place?”

“No.”

“Oh…”

After food was distributed, Cheng Songyun turned to Mei Lan. “Xiao Mei, do you have extra space? Could I stay with you?”

Mei Lan looked awkward. “Sister, don’t you have your own place? Mine’s… uh, not too convenient.”

Cheng Songyun smiled apologetically and didn’t explain.

She turned to Guan He and whispered, “Xiao Guan, can Auntie stay with you? You’ve got three spare beds… If you mind, just say so.”

Guan He didn’t understand why she didn’t want to stay in her own home, but he could see the fear and sorrow on her face.

Clearly, she didn’t want to room with Jia Xu or Blondie, and Fang Xiu’s room had only one large bed, not suitable. He was likely her last option.

“I don’t mind,” Guan He said.

Since his room only had bare boards, Fang Xiu helped move bedding and daily necessities from Cheng Songyun’s place.

But when they reached her door, they hit an invisible barrier, stuff spilled everywhere. The family photo at the entrance nearly fell, but Cheng Songyun caught it just in time.

Guan He stepped back and forth at the doorway. “Looks like stuff can’t be taken out of the room. Maybe you should ask Mei Lan again?”

Cheng Songyun lowered her gaze. “I’ll just sleep on the boards. Firm beds are good for the back.”

A warm, familiar home, but Cheng Songyun refused to stay in it.

She had said her husband died falling down the stairs, but this place didn’t even have stairs, no thresholds, either. Fang Xiu could understand if she was emotionally affected, but this level of rejection was hard to grasp.

Fang Xiu offered to swap rooms. He’d stay in hers, and she could have the scenic suite. But the cards didn’t work for others.

Even if Fang Xiu opened the door first and Cheng Songyun entered alone, once he closed the door, she’d be teleported out.

Fang Xiu raised an eyebrow at the card in his hand.

Items couldn’t be taken out, and rooms couldn’t be seized.

Combined with the second taboo, “theft of chips is forbidden”, this ritual seemed designed to prevent rule-breaking conflicts.

…Interesting.

In the end, Cheng Songyun went to Guan He’s dorm room, and Fang Xiu returned to his suite.

After a long day, it was nearing dusk.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the sunlight bathed the golden leaves, lifting one’s spirits.

Even better, an artistic light fixture hung over the bed, meaning Bai Shuangying couldn’t lie directly above him on the ceiling.

Then a worrying thought hit him: the bathtub was across from the bed. What if Bai Shuangying returned to his true form and lay in the tub? Or worse, choose some dark corner of the ceiling?

These thoughts made Fang Xiu’s mood dipped.

He watched as Bai Shuangying eyed the ceiling, pacing slowly around the bed like he was stepping on Fang Xiu’s nerves. Just as Bai Shuangying opened his mouth…

Fang Xiu blurted out, “This bed’s two meters wide. It’d be a waste for me to sleep alone. Wanna join me?”

Bai Shuangying simultaneously, “I want to sleep in the bed.”

Fang Xiu: “…”

Bai Shuangying: “…”

Fang Xiu: “Okay.”

His heart skipped again. Fang Xiu pressed his chest, savoring the flutter.

For once, he agreed with Jia Xu. His luck really had turned around!

To hide his twisted grin, Fang Xiu flopped onto the bed and tore the chip off the menu. The chip was warm and quivered slightly in his hand, just gross enough.

He grimaced and stuffed it into the qiankun bag.

It slid in smoothly, proving it wasn’t a spirit or living thing. Fang Xiu felt a bit better but had no intention of taking it back out.

Third taboo: You must always carry a chip. Lose it and die.

…He had no desire to test a death taboo.

The TV didn’t work, nor did the bathtub faucet, but the mountain view more than made up for it. From sunset to nightfall, the landscape was breathtaking.

Bai Shuangying had no interest in the scenery. He lay on the bed, switching between human and true form like he was testing the mattress. He finally settled in human form, black hair spreading across the sheets.

Fang Xiu sat on the edge of the bed, playing with a lock of hair, passing time contentedly.

At 6 PM, a strange phenomenon appeared.

There was no power in the room, only bright moonlight. So the golden light at the door stood out starkly.

Fang Xiu and Bai Shuangying exchanged glances, then cautiously approached. The moment his fingers touched the light, Fang Xiu was yanked forward, like an invisible hand had grabbed him.

If Bai Shuangying hadn’t caught him by the collar, he would’ve faceplanted.

When he raised his head, he was stunned.

Even knowing there were 888 people, seeing them all at once was overwhelming…

They were now standing in a vast, gilded lobby.

The floor was covered in gold-and-red carpeting, and the dazzling lights made his eyes ache. On the wall opposite the main door, two characters glowed: “Huanxi World”.

Below that was a grand, double-doored theater entrance. 

On either side stood a man and woman with perfect, almost inhuman beauty.

They smiled and gestured toward a sign, which read: “Open Hours: 18:30–23:30”

Perhaps due to room proximity, Fang Xiu’s companions stood right beside him.

Blondie gawked, “Holy crap, so many people?! All of them alive?!”

Jia Xu frowned. “The door opens at 18:30, but it’s only 18:00. What does that mean?”

The next moment, they got their answer.

The surrounding crowd noticed the six newcomers and all turned to look. Cheng Songyun stiffened, ready to defend herself…

But then, everyone’s expressions changed.

They all broke into flattering smiles.

“New arrivals!”

“Damn, they’re new—!”

“They haven’t exchanged their chips yet!”

“Wanna trade for a better room?”

“Bro, sis, need a companion for the night?”

“…Just lend me your chip and I’ll do whatever you want!”

Countless hands reached toward them.

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The author has something to say:

Jia Xu: Thank you, ritual 🙏

Fang Xiu: Thank you, ritual (meaningfully)

And so the world where only Cheng Jie gets hurt… has been achieved…

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